Toddler Train Games

Play train games to teach your toddler about colors.

Toddlers love to play games. They especially like to pretend. Pretending is not only fun, but it teaches young children how to empathize with others and how to solve problems. Many toddlers are also fascinated by trains. Combine pretending with some trains and add a dash of information to play games with your toddler that are fun and educational.

Train Colors

Start with a train that has different colored cars, or make a pretend train out of colored blocks. Then, connect the cars in patterns. Name each color with your child as you create the pattern. For example, your train might be made of blue, red, blue and red cars. Or, ask your toddler to hand you the different colored cars as you build the train. This will help her learn how to identify the colors. End the game by coloring a coloring book page of a train with the same colors as your block or toy train.

Choo-Choo Pretend

Pretend to be trains by chugging along tracks made from lines in the dirt outside, or simply chug around your house in a random pattern. Toddlers love to imitate their parents, so make it a "follow the leader" game, with you leading and your toddler following behind. Be sure to blow the whistle, speed up and slow down as your little train shadow follows you. Move your arms and pull up your knees to make this a game that includes physical activity and large motor skill practice.

Box Trains

Make a train out of a large cardboard box. Decorate it with cardboard wheels (including a steering wheel) and color it with markers or paint. Cut out a hole for a window, and then place a pillow or chair in the box for your toddler to sit on as he pretends to drive the train. Encourage him to talk about the things he is seeing while he is driving the train as a way to develop and practice his language skills.

Ride the Daddy Train

For this game, Daddy or Mommy (whoever has the strongest back) becomes the train. Get down on your hands and knees and let your toddler ride on your back as you choo-choo your way around the house or yard. You may want to wear knee pads if the ground is too hard. Incorporate imaginative play into the game by pretending to go under tunnels and over bridges while avoiding invisible objects such as trees. Be sure to make a stop now and then for passengers to get off and re-board.

Other Toy Train Games

There are several games you can play with toy trains. Use toy trains to stage a race across the kitchen floor. Or, build a train set with wooden or plastic tracks and play a game where you chase each others' trains around the track. Stuffed animals can take turns riding on a toy train, which is a good way to illustrate sharing.

References

• What to Expect: Toddler Pretend Play
• Pratt's Educational Resources: Fun Learning Activities -- Toddler through High School